The Earthbound
by SeriouslyFunnySketcher
Summary: A family can be a lot. An even bigger family can have a past that can't be kept quiet.
1. Tales To Begin

The void of space spread as far as the eye could see and a few planets dappled the dark face of the sky. Stars from afar glittered like sequins. Amidst the silence of this void, a fairly large ship floated, fairly stationary. It was the Skullship, which at any other point in time would scare away the other ships that occasionally passed it.

Inside the cockpit of the Skullship, a group of hybrid children was huddled together and staring up curiously at a sleek blue cat sitting at the controls. She donned an outfit similar to the watchdog jumpsuits, save for the red cape draped over her shoulders, and the lack of a helm or boots.

"Come on, tell us one more?" One of the children piped out. "Please, ma?" The cat had been telling them stories since they'd gathered in the front, contrary to Peepers' orders to send them to their rooms. Said watchdog was sitting beside the cat, cutting her looks every now and then as if pouting.

"Malice, haven't you heard enough?" She was growing aware that Peepers wanted them to leave, and had tried a few times to avoid giving in.

"One more!" The hybrid pleaded again.

"Conquer is right." Peepers stood at this, resulting in a loud groan from each of the young children. "Don't you all have beds to be in?"

"Peepers, they want one last story. I don't see why one more could hurt." Conquer put a massive paw on his shoulder.

"Yeah, poppy, one more!" Malice wasn't going to back down, clearly. The watchdog glanced at his daughter and sighed in defeat, climbing back into his chair and motioning Conquer to talk.

"Last one."

"Understood, captain." This prompted a giggle from the children, and she looked towards them with a knowing smile. "I don't believe I've told you how our family came to be. Why don't we start there?"

"Ya mean how uncle Hatey decided ta let mum and pop stay?" A little Zbornak near the end of the huddled up group chirped, tilting her head. Conquer nodded.

"Not all of us knew each other, then. As a matter of fact, I'd never met Hater before." She leaned back in her chair. "Until I came back to this galaxy to find my captain again."


	2. Dognapped by Accident

**_Years before_**

The Skullship had landed for refueling and gathering supplies. Peepers was watching over from the cockpit as watchdogs filed in and out with empty boxes or groceries, unaware of the ship near the planet they'd landed on. Said ship was a large, boomerang-shaped white space speeder with a few miniature extended engines. It was circling the planet and a sole orble made its way out the bottom of the ship, headed for the landing place of the Skullship.

"Ted, Ted put that down! I told you, that's for the invasion watchdogs to handle!" Peepers began to scold a couple of watchdogs here and there, and soon enough was too distracted to see the figure slip into the cockpit. Until a white glove was slapped over his eye, stopping him from trying to shout out in surprise. The watchdogs were so busy taking his orders, they seemed to not notice when the orders fell silent as he was pulled away.

"Ngh-Let me go!" It was the first thing Peepers managed to shout when the gloved hand was removed from his face. He turned to confront whoever had grabbed him and his lower eyelid sagged slightly on sight of them. "C-Conquer?" He stammered. Before the watchdog was a tall blue cat in white and black, her eyes gleaming.

"Nice to see you again too, captain." The cat beamed at the word. Peepers shook his head and glanced around to find he'd been brought onto her ship. It was rounded on the inside and the controls were squared off into multiple sections. Two hoverchairs sat at the main keyboard, one chair small enough for a younger cat. Aside from the two chairs, it looked no different from the last time he'd been inside, the thought of which caused him to sigh. "I didn't mean to frighten you." Conquer snapped him out of the memory.

"You didn't. You scared me!" He responded after shaking off the thoughts. "Why did you dognap me from my duties?"

"Dognap? Peepers, I just wanted to see you again. You don't have to be so blunt about how I did so." Conquer looked a little hurt, his tone had been demanding. "You can return to your ship as soon as you meet my new apprentice. I missed you, you know."

"Oh. Oh! It…has to have been a long time hasn't it?" Peepers finally looked up at her, a smile of sorts crossing his eye. She smiled back and nodded.

"A long, long time. I'm supposing you did really go into villainy?" This time she looked away.

"I…I did." He rubbed his arm. "Did you continue your nursing travels?" He glanced long enough to get a nod and decided the floor was a very interesting aspect of the ship.

"That's where I met Seeker." Conquer's voice drained of the energy it had when they'd first realized how far they had drifted. "SEEKER!" This was a shout into a loudspeaker next to her. There was stumbling down a hall, the door to the rest of the ship sliding open to reveal a scraggly looking violet tom with a cuffed blue and green suit. He saluted and shuffled his paws, his massive fluffy tail waving slowly on sight of the watchdog beside Conquer.

"Yes, ma'am?" He half-squeaked. Peepers couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the cat, he couldn't be that old and clearly had a bit of fear for Conquer, who Peepers couldn't imagine anyone being afraid of.

"This is my old captain. Peepers. Peepers, my apprentice and soon to be captain…unless…" There was now a hint of hope in her tone as she glanced at the watchdog, who hesitated before sighing and shaking his head.

"I would. But Lord Hater would probably get himself killed without me. He's not much of a bad guy, but I am his commander and, well, taking care of him is my job." Peepers looked back at the young tom at this, really not wanting to look at Conquer.

"I understand. Seeker, how are our patients doing?" She looked at the tom as well.

"The orange one keeps trying to get up. He says he's better even with his fever still through the roof. His partner hasn't moved from her spot." Seeker returned to his salute position, his voice gaining an air of professionalism at the command from Conquer. The blue cat nodded in response and slowly turned back to Peepers, who had raised half of his eyelid in interest at "orange one."

"You are free to return to your Lord at any time, Peepers." She motioned to the very clearly open exit hatch at the center floor area of the cockpit.

"Apologies for having to leave so quickly, but, as I said, Hater would probably get himself killed with me not there." He started towards the hatch, then paused. "Next time you want to see someone you miss, try a less traumatizing approach." There was a smile in his voice, and Conquer nodded slowly, catching his gaze long enough for her to smile at him as well. Peepers would have left at that moment…had the sound of a sudden engine start and the sight through the window, of the Skullship shredding out of view stopped him.

"Grop…" Conquer hissed. It appeared she had indeed dognapped him, entirely by accident.


	3. Bartolemu's

"I'm sorry…maybe we can catch up with them. I know you wouldn't agree to stay here unless you truly wanted to." Conquer sat down in one of the hoverchairs in front of the main control panel and looked to the very shocked watchdog before her. Peepers barely heard her, staring in disbelief at the empty docking platform on the planet below, where the Skullship had been before.

"Ma'am, does this mean I have to check him for ailments?" Seeker tilted his head. Peepers could hear the hint of a sniffle in his voice now that the commanding tone was gone from Conquer. He must be ill, too, but Conquer failed to notice this.

"No. Just show him the ship. I'll try and set a path to follow his home ship." She whisked past, tail brushing over Peepers' shoulder unintentionally. Seeker nodded with a slight huff and grabbed Peepers' arm a little roughly before guiding him into the rest of the ship. As the "tour" continued, the tom seemed to be slowing down each time they entered a new hall. Even with the thick fabric of Seeker's gloves, Peepers could feel that the cat was burning up. How was it not obvious to Conquer?

"Nursery and infirmary." Seeker physically stopped this time, to catch his breath, before pointing at two adjacent rooms with glass window walls. Peepers could clearly see inside the infirmary, and his eye widened in surprise at the only resident of the room. In the bed nearest the entrance was none other than Wander himself, complaining quietly that he was well enough to get up.

"Is that Wander?" He said it before he thought, and Seeker looked up. "What is he doing here?"

"He's sick, stupid." Seeker had long since released Peepers' hand and seemed to go to his knees in an attempt to catch his breath. "We should get you back to-" The words died. Peepers' gaze snapped from where he had been staring at Wander, to the cat. He'd collapsed entirely.

"Kid?" He stepped back and used his foot to try and nudge the cat. "Seeker, are you-" His eye widened. Seeker had fallen still, a scary kind of still. Another nudge and Peepers began to back up, glancing towards the cockpit. He should get Conquer. But then, if something was wrong with the cat she might not get to him in time. He glanced back at the cockpit again, then at the beds inside the infirmary.

* * *

"Alright, in you go." It was a very hard task, carrying someone twice his size, but somehow Peepers managed to shove Seeker into a bed, ignoring the stare his presence had caused Wander to give. "You're burning up too. Probably caught whatever Wander has." He was muttering to himself and was unaware of Conquer's footsteps.

"Peepers?" He stiffened and glanced towards the sound of her voice. "You're...helping Seeker rest?" Any words died on his tongue at the question. He'd only planned on seeing what was wrong, then going to get her, not try and help the tom get better.

"I was just…he's…" The watchdog could not find a sentence for the life of him and he stood there making wild gestures at Seeker.

"Peepers was doin' what he had to." Wander's voice startled him, ignoring the nomad had made Peepers forget he was even there. The surprise in itself caused him to nod frantically.

"Let me see him. Can you man the controls?" Conquer strode in.

"I think so…" He did want to get back to Hater, but leaving Conquer in here with Wander felt like a million red flags popping up. She wasn't a villain, and for that matter, not his responsibility, so why did he feel like he had to keep him from affecting her? She was as much like Wander as a person could get aside from her temperate emotions.

"Then why are you standing around like a lost puppy?! Go take care of getting this ship moving!" Conquer's tone went from worried to demanding so quickly that Peepers jumped, then scrambled off towards the cockpit. He didn't get out of hearing range before he heard her voice drop to fear, a mere whisper of "It's Bartolemu's."

* * *

Peepers knew Conquer too well. She cared as much about getting him home as she did taking care of her patients, and the only reason he knew she wouldn't stop her first task was because of how stubborn she had been before. He looked out the rounded window and heaved a sigh, staring out where Hater's ship had disappeared well over an hour ago, then glanced over his shoulder towards where the infirmary was. After a couple of glances both ways, he shoved off the control panel with his feet, the chair he was dwarfed in shooting across the arced room and halting dead in front of a computer screen. He tapped in a few things and a hologram of a map flickered to life before him. A planet just beyond the edge of the galaxy was zoomed in, and he hesitated one more time before tapping it. The ship shuddered to a stop and turned itself around.

"Next stop, Corgon Bartolemu." He whispered to himself.


	4. A New Command

Peepers' absence had been noticed in the Skullship by now and watchdogs were scrambling about in search of him. With so many of them, it was hard, if not impossible, to not scale the entire ship with a fine-tooth comb. Hater himself had scoured the commander's room, and it was soon obvious he was not on the ship.

"It looks like there's one thing left to do." The skeleton slumped into his thronelike chair in the cockpit.

"Call the rest of the galaxy and order a search for Peepers?" A watchdog near one of the computers asked, ready to do so. Hater cut him a sharp glare and sank even deeper into the chair.

"NO!" He shouted. "Get a new commander! You, send out a ton of searches for a new commander!" The watchdog he had silenced before nodded in terror and began to type frantically into the computer he was at. Did they think it was stupid? Yes. Did they dare object to Hater's orders? No.

* * *

Soon enough there were a few creatures lined up inside the entrance of the skullship. A couple of them performed some sort of act in front of Hater and were quickly dismissed. He was watching in disinterest as they came and went.

"Next!" He shouted as a changeling stepped up. She had merely put a hoof to her chest and opened her mouth when he did so, and she hissed furiously before preparing to scold. Several watchdogs aimed their blasters at her before she could and she scrambled away. The next creature to come up…was a purple nomad. Hater's eyes snapped open.

"What are you looking at?" The nomad snapped, hands on her hips. She didn't wait for his response, instead stormed over to him. "You think that kind of tone is going to get you anywhere? Look at this ship! It's absolutely useless with all these watchdogs not doing anything! You, Go and march! Check the halls!" She was snappy and demanding, the opposite of what Hater had expected on sight of her. She was acting like she already had the job and seemed to know what she was doing.

"You're hired!" Hater finally got words to work. The creatures that had been next in line gave disappointed sighs, and the line disappeared.

"Hired?" The nomad raised an eyebrow. "I had this job when I walked in!" She promptly held up a "Commander Wanted" poster at this. She was almost in his face and it was like the skeleton could feel the fire in her expression.

"Ah, what was your name again?" He stammered. Somehow this tiny furry monstrosity was firey enough to make him nervous.

"Andi." She crossed her arms. "NOW GET TO WORK!" Hater jumped up at this, immediately beginning to mop as said mop was shoved into his hands. After a moment he stopped.

"Hey! I'm the leader of this ship, Andi!" He scoffed her name and jammed the mop into the bucket trolley that he had been given as well.

"That's COMMANDER Andi to you!" She practically hissed. "Now get back to mopping! This floor looks like it hasn't been cleaned in MONTHS!" The tone alone proved she was merely asserting her dominance, and that any objections had a chance of being bitten hard with an objection of her own. Hater decided not to argue.


End file.
